The Colourist recently released a new remix of "Fix This" by The Chainsmokers. The Chainsmokers are a production group (mostly Alex and Drew?), from New York. Chainsmokers described the remix process: "in the production it was great to create a composition for this track that ping pong'd between their vocals and our production as we add and subtract instruments to increase the energy and emotion into a joyous wave of synths for the drop that keeps that has our signature style."

Colourist at Triple Rock, Minneapolis (05/06/13)

Earlier this year, I caught The Colourist at Triple Rock, and I absolutely love them. There's just something about girl drummers, I can't explain it.

Also, The Colourist is back on tour this January, this time on tour with Panic at the Disco!

Psych-rock foursome, Secret Colours has a new single called "It Can't Be Simple." Watch out for two releases next year, Positive Distractions Part I (out February 4th) and Positive Distractions Part II (out April 29th).

Secret Colours at First Ave, Minneapolis (07/05/13)

You may recall that I caught the Chicago band live at First Avenue earlier this Summer.
The event was billed as the first annual "Bathysphere: A Psychonautical Voyage", which is a psychedelic rock music festival in Minneapolis, and, of course, we're looking forward to covering more Bathysphere.

Of the eleven bands we saw, we made sure to check out Secret Colours:

Like all the bands on the main stage, a projector displaying graphics or images of the band on the background. This was no different for Chicago's Secret Colours, who played tracks from their recently released album Peach to some psychedelic or images of the sun. Highlight of Secret Colours' set was when singer Tommy Evans busted out the melodica to play "Blackhole".

Expect Secret Colours to go on tour around SXSW 2014 time (like many other bands).

Pretty Lights' A Color Map of the Sun was nominated for the Grammy's "Best Dance/Electronica Album of 2013". The album is available as a free download on his website, where you can grab all of his previous albums for free. Instead, Pretty Lights makes money off his live shows.

A Color Map of the Sun is also available as a remixed collection, which Derek Smith wrote is more like a "re-imagination of A Color Map of the Sun."

Pretty Lights at First Ave, Minneapolis (11/14/10)

photo by Oscar

We caught Pretty Lights at First Avenue in 2010, which Oscar wrote: "Pretty Lights is Derek Smith. He hails from the south-western state, Colorado. He incorporates a drummer for his live sets, the current drummer is Adam Deitch. Derek makes funky, electro, hip-hop. With a ton of funk, soul, and hip-hop samples. Most of the crowd that was there for him were also fans of the Minneapolis hip-hop/rap scene, as well as acts such as Ratatat, Lotus, Bassnectar and Rusko."

"Let's Go" is the single from Matt and Kim's fourth album, Lightning, available now via FADER. Fans of the duo said that the new album is "less slick" than their previous effort Sidewalks. That sounds just fine, considering that the band is probably known for their high energy live shows.
From Kateg's previous coverage, she summed it up: "[their show] ran on a ridiculous amount of energy and good cheer."

Sounds like a lot of fun, I'm looking forward to finally seeing the band this November 7th at First Avenue.

While the band was here in the States in March, they've decided to come back to do a proper tour. They've also just recently released "Dark Again" (October 9th), the first single from their debut album Black Sun, due out January 2013.

Attending CMJ this year? They'll be making special appearances throughout the festival.

I will be stopping by to see Gold Fields at The Nether Bar (the bar underneath Mill City Nights) and then stopping by the Turf Club for The Soft Pack.

Author, musician and actress Shayne Leighton, just wrote her darker, edgier, grungier "Twilight-esque" book called Of Light and Darkness: The Vampire's Daughter. Readers who buys the book (digital or hard copy) by October 13th on Amazon will get a free MP3 download of her song, "You Gave Me Roses."
Virtual receipts should be sent to: theoccultcity[a]gmail.com.

The book publisher described Of Light & Darkness: The Vampire's Daughter as a "goth story of Charlotte, a mortal girl bound between the lines of light and darkness who must fight for life and love in a mystical realm of fantasy..."

Interpol's debut album Turn On the Bright Lights turns ten years old this year. They are very excited to let fans know that they are planning to release a Tenth Anniversary Edition of Turn On The Bright Lights on November 19th, 2012 (although Amazon is listing this for December 4, 2012.)

Fans who have been patiently waiting for this will be happy to know that the whole album has been remastered with previously unreleased photographs and additional bonus disc of demos, b-sides, and a DVD. Plus vinyl fans can get the option for the double LP/DVD or CD/DVD.

Friday, 19 November 2010

Pretty Lights sure lives up to his moniker! Blame Derek Smith and his drummer, Adam Deitch if your lights went out on November 14th. Incredible light show aside, he DID bring the funk. He drove the crowd wild. If you were to see it from his view on stage, it probably looked like a hot pulsing mass of fun. The crowd had to be doused in water multiple times, and they even handed out water bottles for the dehydrated. I’ve seen the first at shows like Ratatat, but never the latter, since they usually sell you the water for 3 bucks!

Pretty Lights is Derek Smith. He hails from the south-western state, Colorado. He incorporates a drummer for his live sets, the current drummer is Adam Deitch. Derek makes funky, electro, hip-hop. With a ton of funk, soul, and hip-hop samples. Most of the crowd that was there for him were also fans of the Minneapolis hip-hop/rap scene, as well as acts such as Ratatat, Lotus, Bassnectar and Rusko.

He took the stage at about 10:10 and ended his set sometime round 12:30. It was all a blur of delightful and groovy beats.I also couldn't tell you what he played being that I had never seen him before. His latest EP, “Glow in the Darkness” is the only thing I’ve heard by him and he had no set-list. Sorry. If YOU want to get to know Pretty Lights, you are in luck! He has his whole catalogue of music for free on his website! www.prettylightsmusic.com.

♥Michal Menert

The crowd also seemed to enjoy the opener, Michal Menert. A very fitting opener since it seemed Michael was in the same league of electro-hip hop. He has quite the charisma on-stage, and the crowd ate it up.